Microsoft might soon become the new owner of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.
The plant, which had a partial meltdown back in 1979, is currently owned by Constellation. Microsoft has inked a deal with them to buy all the power it generates for the next 20 years. This deal is pending approval from regulators. If everything goes smoothly, Microsoft will use this energy for its AI data centers.
What’s fascinating is that the plant sits next to a unit that was shut down after the accident in 1979 and was finally retired in 2019. If the purchase goes through, Microsoft plans to get it running again, producing enough energy for over 800,000 homes with its 837 megawatts output.
The power from this plant will be crucial for Microsoft’s AI and data centers, which need a lot of energy to operate. Although Microsoft has promised to cut down its carbon emissions in the past, this shift to using nuclear power is seen as a way to move towards cleaner energy.
“This agreement is a major milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to help decarbonize the grid in support of our commitment to become carbon negative,” said Bobby Hollis, vice president of energy at Microsoft, according to The Verge. “Microsoft continues to collaborate with energy providers to develop carbon-free energy sources to help meet the grids’ capacity and reliability needs.”
Constellation plans to pour $1.6 billion into bringing the plant back to life, but they need the green light from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other local bodies first.
We sometimes wonder if these huge companies really think about the long-term effects of their actions.
Microsoft has been very vocal about its big plans for AI. Tim Stuart, CFO of Xbox, talked about how AI could change the future of gaming, and there’s even an AI-powered chatbot being developed for Xbox.
